What is the big deal about HFCS?

Hello,

I've been reading about HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and watching some of the videos on Youtube that people have been making about the subject. I was first alerted to this danger by Dr Ripich in The 30 Day Diabetes Cure book, but, you know how life is, you read something and it is important one day and the next day you don't really think about it and it fades into the background. For that reason I am attempting to stay in touch with why I need to not only make the changes in my eating and exercise habits but to maintain the changes and stick to what is best for my personal health. What good would it do me to go back to eating those things that harm me by causing diabetes? No good that I can see. So stick to the plan.

Dr Rip says some amazing things in his book, on page 98, about HFCS. Our bodies process or metabolize HFCS differently than regular table sugar and it is more easily absorbed into the body. HFCS actually puts extra fat on the body at a much faster rate. Yikes! It also raises the triglycerides (fats) and cholesterol that float around in our blood becoming a main cause of heart attacks and strokes. And, as if that is not bad enough, our bodies do not "read" HFCS calories in the same way so it does not set off the leptin response meaning it does not provide that feeling of satisfaction that we use to stop eating. We never get the "I'm full" response so you just keep right on eating more and more. Sounds like it may actually be one of the causes of the eating machine. 

Some of the other things I have found on the internet say that fructose is what pancreatic cancer feeds on (http://all247news.com/have-you-heard-what-they-say-about-hfcs-fructose-promotes-pancreatic-cancer/3290/). I think that means it makes this cancer worse by keeping it alive and growing. I have heard in the past that cancer feeds on sugar so this rang a bell for me.

I also read that Dr Richard K Berstein, the diabetes doctor from New England says that the fibers that grow on the eyes that cause cataracts are fructose molecules. So eliminating fruit juice and especially HFCS should slow that process down -- although that last part is only my own opinion. But does it not make sense that if we eliminate the fructose from our diet, the body will have less of it to deposit into the making of cataracts? I'm just saying.

"Bart Hoebel who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction said, 'When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight.'"

Half as much HFCS as regular table sugar will produce twice as much fat in the body!! That is what it said at: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/ -- which is a report on a study done at Princeton University where I found the quote from Bart Hoebel -- but they don't really know why, yet.

It appears that in the forty years since HFCS was introduced to the American food supply (in everything from sodas to ketchup) the number of truly obese individuals skyrocketed from fifteen percent to thirty percent of our society. That is exactly double the number of super fat people. And you know that it has affected more than just the really big ones like me -- the average sized are being affected also with more diabetes, cancer, and weight in general. Ding, ding, ding. Wake up and start reading those food labels and buying better food for our selves -- and more than that let others know of this problem. If we stop buying that junk, they will stop selling it. The "bottom line" is the only one they pay attention to and the only way to affect it is to make it start to decline by avoiding those HFCS laden products. We really do need to start reading the labels and actively avoiding HFCS. Our health and the health of our children really does depend on us forcing this stuff out of our food supply.

What about the fructose in fruit? Well what I am reading is that the fructose in HFCS is not attached to other molecules which makes them more readily absorbed by the body. It is like they are freely available without needing extra processing to add more fat to your body. If you are eating whole fruit then the fructose is attached to other healthy molecules, plus fiber, which reduces the absorption rates and amounts. So, while eating a lot of fruit is not good for the diabetic because it is still sugar and still raises the blood sugar, for the normal person who does not have this metabolic disorder, whole fruit (not juice) is a healthy alternative to sugary sodas and other food items that contain HFCS. Eating fresh whole fruit that is uncooked -- meaning it is raw and fresh and pesticide free -- makes you fat at a much slower rate than eating processed foods that have been manufactured with HFCS.

Part of the problem with HFCS is that it is a highly processed food additive. So, although, it comes from corn, it is no longer a "natural" item, it has been turned into a manufactured item. Eat the corn, skip the HFCS. And be careful of buying "fruit juice." Read the label and if it has HFCS added, then do not buy it. And PLEASE do not give it to your children or grandchildren. We are making them fat and unhealthy far sooner than ever before because of the foods we let them eat and especially from the sugary drinks we teach them to drink. Do you know that children are now becoming type 2 diabetics? This is a disease that used to ONLY affect older people but now it runs the age gamut of our entire society showing up in younger and younger age groups. I read of an eight year old who was on daily insulin shots from type 2 diabetes (which used to be called "adult onset") -- so there are others out there. Start getting your kids blood sugar checked -- especially if they are obese or have fat little tummies and crave sugar all the time.

Encouragement: If you eliminate HFCS from your diet, it can no longer harm your body. Read the labels on the food before you buy anything. Keep any item with HFCS on the label out of your grocery cart. Your whole family will live a healthier life as a result of making this one change.

Be back soon -- Lord willing.

--Marcia